By Jane Sandwood
Over half of millennial-owned small businesses and around 42% of small businesses as a whole have an app – as reported in a Clutch survey. Apps are used by businesses of all sizes from a myriad of industries – including the legal sector.
Having a dedicated app is about more than prestige; it is something that should be designed for the right reason: to fulfil specific goals that can help your legal firm move forward. How can your firm benefit from app creation, and why is an Apple App the way to go if you wish to stand out from the competition?
Apps benefit firms with loyal clients
Apps are particularly useful for legal firms, since clients are longstanding and many obligations are required to be repeated over a year or other specified time frame. A study by a legal marketing firm found that 57% of people would use a smartphone to search for a lawyer. Couple this with the fact that almost 89% of time spent on phones and tablets involves app use, and you can see how having an app can make it easier for clients and potential clients to reach you.
Why go for Apple?
Some firms ensure their apps are compatible with more than one type of device, but from the outset, you should ensure yours is present on the App Store. This imposes very high standards for apps to be released, so if you pass the test then you know that your app provides a seamless, dynamic experience for users. iphone apps are particularly useful for lawyers, accountants and administrators because they are known to protect firmware and software with strict safety measures. These include data duplication prevention, data encryption, and integrated data handling systems. Finally, Apple offers users a high quality user experience, which makes sorting through and filling in information less laborious.
You can include just about anything you consider useful for your clients on your legal app – such as interesting cases, new legal developments, and information about your staff. Research into the aspects that attract people to legal firms (including years of experience, specialization and location). Consider announcing a free first consultation as a way for people to get to know you and your standards.
Marketing and timelines
Your legal website should be SEO-strong if you are to foster awareness about your app. Improving your law firm’s ranking by using the right keywords, using Google analytics, and employing SEO tools such as Yoast for WordPress can help bring more views to your page. Doing so will enable you to pin news about your new app and offer incentives for those who download it. Creating engaging blog content, meanwhile, will also help attract readers and links back to your page, so make sure you offer information that is worth sharing.
Once you decide the key features your app will have, try to work to a schedule. You should be able to work speedily, since iOS apps take around 28% less time to create than apps with similar specifications from other companies. The reason is that other apps have to be pre-tested across a plethora of devices and should be adaptable to various screen sizes, OS versions and resolutions.
If you are working remotely at this point in time, it might be the ideal time to work on a new app for your legal firm. For functionality, security and time savings, Apple is a good choice. To ensure your app brings in more work, focus on quality content and SEO. Let existing and potential clients know how your app can make their life easier and more secure.
